Russian Cursive О о (O): How to Write It
By Daily Cyrillic · Updated
Cursive о is a small closed oval, like a handwritten Latin o, joined to the next letter by a short stroke from its top. The high exit is what makes it different from а. A rounded "o" as in "more" when stressed; unstressed it is reduced to an "a" or "uh" sound.
Reading time: about 2 min.
- Sound
- /o/, written o
- Letter name
- о
- Often confused with
- а, ю
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Sound
A rounded "o" as in "more" when stressed; unstressed it is reduced to an "a" or "uh" sound.
How to write cursive о, step by step
- Start at the top right of the x-height.
- Draw the oval counterclockwise down the left side and around the bottom.
- Close it at the top where you began.
- If a letter follows, leave with a small loop or a short horizontal stroke from the top.
The capital О
Capital О is a large oval, usually closed at the top with a small inward loop. It does not connect to the next letter in most handwriting.
How it connects to other letters
The connection leaves from the top of the oval, so the following letter starts high. This is why ов and ос look so different from ав and ас.
Letters it is confused with
о / а: а has a downstroke on the right and leaves from the baseline; о has none and leaves from the top.
о / ю: ю ends in an о-like oval but begins with a separate stem and bar. If there is a stroke before the oval, it is ю.
Example words in cursive
Read the cursive word first, then check the print form and meaning.
| Cursive | Transliteration | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| облако | облако | óblako | cloud |
| сок | сок | sok | juice |
| осень | осень | ósen' | autumn |
| кино | кино | kinó | cinema |
Common mistakes
- Connecting from the bottom of the oval, which makes о look like а.
- Leaving the oval open at the top so it reads as с.
Turn this guide into words you can use
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